Maybe you live in Somerset, well there is a Maple called Acer rubrum ‘Somerset’ which has fantastic deep red Autumn colouring.

If you want to go the whole hog, why not plant a small orchard, this need not just be Apples. We have Cherries, Plums, Pears or how about a group of Cider Apples, alternatively create your own Nuttery using our range of Cobnuts, Hazel nuts, Walnuts and Chestnuts.

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Ailanthus altissima - tree of heaven

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So, as you can see the list is endless. There are trees for small gardens, trees for exposed areas, wet soils and so on, in fact you name it we will probably have a tree to fit your requirements. We even have trees to celebrate a marriage – Malus ‘Wedding Bouquet’.

Once planted your garden will feel like a little piece of Heaven, come to think of it we have that as well a tree called Ailanthus altissima commonly called ‘The Tree of Heaven’!

Go on celebrate the Queens Jubilee and plant a tree.

If you would like any further help choosing a tree or in fact any question about gardening, please feel free to get in touch with me or anyone at Groves either by e-mail hardyplants@grovesnurseries.co.uk or by calling 01308 422654

Monday, 23 January 2012

We all read and hear in the news that it’s important to eat fresh fruit and Veg. Not only do they provide antioxidants to help prevent cancer but most are high alkaline forming foods which are great for overall health.

If we have too much acid in our system, we decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients. Too much acid decreases energy production in cells and increase the risk of tumour cells thriving.

The problems we face today is that our diet consists of too many processed foods. We also eat acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy and not enough fruit and veg to even this imbalance out. We also eat acid producing processed foods such as flour, sugar and drink too much acid producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks.

To correct this we need to clean up the diet and lifestyle.
Generally, alkaline forming foods include: most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs, seasonings, and seeds and nuts. Why not not try and grow fruit and Veg which will give you an incentive to eat healthy. Click here to buy Fruit plants or Veg Seed

Our bodies are about 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. That’s a good reason to consume approximately 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. Realistically if you can maintain a ratio of 60% alkaline to 40% acidic food, this will be sufficient to give your body what it needs.

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

It might seem like eating something at a pH of 6 isn’t that much different than eating something at a pH of 7, but pH is an exponential scale: every unit of change in pH equals a 10-fold increase. So the acidity of a food with a pH of 6 is ten times more acidic than that of a food with a pH of 7. A difference of 2 units (from 7 to 5) would mean that the acidity is 100 times greater. That means that Coca-Cola with pH 2 is 100,000 times more acidic than water (neutral pH of 7). Coffee with pH 4 is 1,000 times more acidic than water.